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Creamy Miso-Shiitake Pasta

This is a great crowd-pleasing pasta. It’s easy, quick and bursting with umami flavor! So creamy it tastes a bit decadent, but It’s actually quite light and healthy. It’s also vegan and can be easily made gluten-free and oil-free.
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Soaking Time 2 hours
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

PASTA:

  • 3 servings of whole-wheat or GF spaghetti - 8 ounces – 230 grams
  • 1 Tbsp of olive oil – sub veggie broth if you are on an oil-free diet
  • 3 small green onions, sliced
  • 1 big garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp chili flakes
  • 5.5 oz or 150 grams shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and thinly sliced*
  • Sea salt

MISO-SHIITAKE SAUCE:

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup of cashews - soaked for at least 2 hours preferably overnight**
  • ½ of the cooked shiitake – green onion mixture
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp chickpea miso paste
  • 1 Tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

TO SERVE:

  • Chili flakes
  • Black sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • PASTA:
  • Cook pasta according to instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining it. This is a great trick; the starchy water will add a beautiful silkiness to the sauce.
  • In a large non-stick pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic, chili flakes and sauté for 2 minutes.
  • Add shiitake mushrooms and a big pinch of sea salt and cook for about 5 – 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and golden. If the mushrooms start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add 1 – 2 Tbsp of water and stir.
  • Once cooked, turn off the heat and set aside.
  • SAUCE:
  • Place half of the cooked shiitake – green onion mixture in a high-speed blender. Leave the remaining half in the pan.
  • Drain and rinse the cashews.
  • Add water, cashews, nutritional yeast, miso, coconut nectar, soy sauce and balsamic to the blender.
  • Blend until smooth and creamy.
  • PASTA:
  • Pour the sauce into the pan with the remaining mushrooms and warm over medium heat.
  • Add the cooked pasta and stir for a minute or two. If the sauce is too thick, add some of that reserved cooking pasta water, 1 – 2 Tbsp at a time, until smooth and silky (you won’t need the whole cup, just a little bit). Taste and adjust seasoning.
  • Serve immediately and top with more chili flakes and black sesame seeds.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

*Shiitake stems can be a bit tough, so I like to remove and discard the stems.
**Soaking nuts overnight makes them a whole lot healthier (you can read more about it here). But if you are hungry and want to make this tasty treat right now, soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 - 30 minutes. This will soften them quickly.